OK, you've got the
web-space, the HTML skills, and the graphics, and you know what
extras you can stick on your site. You're ready to put your works
on the web. The question is, what goes up, how should you design
your site, and what goes with them?

My answer to this is simple;
you put in what makes your site useful to visitors. A website is
a utility, just like a program or a tool - it does something for
someone. Take a look at sites like cnn.com, ufomind.com, and
fanfiction.net - these sites help you find or do something. You
may not have the time or resources or inclination to run a
supercomplex site, but you still have to keep in mind your site
is there to do something for people, otherwise people have no
reason to come.

When your site is a host to
your fiction, what it does is make your fiction, related works,
and you, the creator, accessible. Those are the basic services
you provide; think of it almost like a business.

So, with that in mind, lets
take a look at common features that your site should - or
shouldn't - have. I'll be drawing on my previous experience in my
webmastering of my own site and others.

STARTING OUT:
First of all, scribble out a diagram of how your web site will
work - what pages there will be, what links go where. Play around
with it until you get a way of working, a workflow as its called,
that is easy to use.

One of the biggest mistakes
made in site design is requiring too many clicks of
links/buttons/back/forward for things to get done. That's why I
follow what I call my 1-2-3 rule:

1 click on a
link/button is ideally all you need to get from one part
of the site to another. If you can get from any part of
the site to any other part in one click and still have
the site look good, my congradulations.

2 clicks is acceptable
to get from any part of the site to any other. The
1-click ideal is just that - an ideal. Aim for it, but
accept that 2 clicks is often necessary for a great deal
of navigation.

3 clicks is the maximum
amount of clicks that should be required to get from any
part of the site to any other part. If you have lots of
3-click requirements for basic navigation or beyond
3-click requirements, there's a problem, consider a
redesign.

I don't find this rule holds
up in all areas of websites - for instance if you have a
complicated search or other utility, there may be all sorts of
clicking and selecting. I apply this rule to the major areas and
sub-areas of a website.

One way to reduce
"clicks" is to have a site map that is easily
accessible - an organized list of links to EVERYTHING. It may not
look pretty, but keep it tucked away, one click away from major
pages, and it'll be very useful.

MAIN PAGE:Obviously you need this since people need somewhere to
go first - good old index.html. I usually find it's good to use
this as a launchpad to other parts of the site, and to display
recent news. If you're going for a personal feel, it's a good
place to display rants, chatty commentary, etc.

One of the most irritating
things to do with a main page is insert musical tracks, large
pictures, java, etc. The main page is people's first experience -
don't make them suffer through a hideous upload time or a browser
crash or both.

Remember your site is a
utility - make the main page count. For instance, I keep a
"what's new" and "latest updates" section on
my index page.

STORIES:
You kind of want to include these on your site, since thats what
its there for. However, there are several factors to consider:

If you have a lot of
stories, you may want to subdivide them into several
pages, perhaps dividing them chronologically and
categorically. This way people don't have to wade through
a list of 30 stories to find what they want. I usually
use 10 stories per page.

Quick summaries of the
stories will help people zero in on what they want to
read or pick up where they left off if they don't
remember a title.

Make sure the stories
are in a readable format - I usually use HTML or
70-column text files. Check them in a browser before
posting..

If you think readers
can get lost trying to find the right stories, you're
probably right. Make sure story order, subject,
chronology, what is new, etc. is clear.

GUIDE:If you're like me and you have a complex world and
storyline, a page with a guide, a FAQ, character profiles, etc.
can help immensely. Sure, you may remember everything, but don't
count on your readers to do so or make the effort to keep every
little detail in mind. If your story and world are complex
enough, consider a guide page.

At the least, have a good
FAQ. In some cases, you may want separate character profiles and
summaries. Just remember, there's a lot of maintenance. (And I
know as my FAQ is quite behind; well it would be if I had one yet
. . .)

ART AND ART
GALLERIES:
Art galleries are just additions that can actually enhance the
experience of your webbed work; let people see pictures of the
characters, scenes, etc. It can help them enter your world, and
just be fun to browse. Art combined with a Guide section can help
people really understanding and visualizing your setting.

An art gallery is also a way
for people to do some mutually beneficial work. If artists other
than yourself contribute, list their email or web pages. Give
them a chance to make some contacts and friends too.

As an addition, you may want
to try illustrating your stories. Just be careful with layout and
make sure it doesn't interfere with story flow.

AUTHOR PROFILE:I have mixed feelings on author profiles. On one hand,
they can paint a picture of the creator(s) of the site, add a
human face to the text and HTML and graphics. On the other hand
they can seem (or be) arrogant and self-promoting. People should
look at your work, not you.

Including an Author Profile
is a judgment call that I think depends on ones site and one's
goal. It all comes back to the question "Does it make the
site better for the visitors?" and, I think "does it
warrant letting the visitors know more about the creator or
creators?"

One thing I've found is
great for an Author profile is contact information - email, ICQ
number, etc. Unless you're avoiding your readers deliberately,
make yourself available. Yes, you might get some flames, but
you'll more likely get feedback and make new friends.

ABOUT PAGE:Sometimes your project may be complicated or unusual,
and you may want to explain it to visitors. An About page is a
good way to help.

I myself have combined the
Author and About page on my own site, and found that its a nice
way to put informative information on one page and avoid egotism
or its appearance. I also put thanks to people who helped out and
other useful tidbits.

GUESTBOOK:The Guestbook is another website element I have mixed
feelings about. In some ways, its a good way for people to make
contacts, in others its a statement of ego, and yet in others it
can get quickly filled up and be a pain to maintain. However,
with the many free services, they're very easy to implement.

Done right, the guestbook is
both a utility for visitors and for yourself - a way of
maintaining contact. Ask yourself if you really need it (posting
an email address on the site usually works well enough), and if
you have a large traffic flow, if you want to keep reading it and
deleting old entries. A good rule of thumb I've found is that you
won't need one unless you have at least 50 visits a day.

And if your goal is to
stroke your ego, don't do it. Avoid the temptation.

MESSAGE BOARD:Message Boards, like guestbooks, are easy to build these
days. Like guestbooks, they can also be included for the wrong
reason - egotism, a lack of foresight, and the "everyone is
doing it" mentality.

Me, I find MB's useless
unless a site has a lot of traffic (50-100 hits a day) and has
elements of community building. If your works are that popular
(and they may be), an MB is a way to support your fan community.
If your work is a group project, an MB can be an excellent way of
coordinating and getting reader input (and don't forget the use
of listservs as well)

Just remember the
maintenance that goes with them. You're going to have messages to
delete.

I find that guestbooks
compete with messageboards. Ask yourself if you are looking for
communication or just a way for someone to acknowledge they
saw/reacted to the site. Unless you're sure both will be used,
chose the one appropriate to your goals, your site, and the kind
of experience you want to provide users.

COUNTERS:Ah, counters. A chance to count your hits, a chance to
feel inadequate, or a chance to provide better services to your
visitors? Actually, counters are all three.

Personally, I use them
mainly for myself - to know how many hits I'm getting, to know,
in short, if anyone cares. I suggest using them mainly for this -
as a tool. Yes, a nice big number is neat, but lets face it you
can fake that easily. The feedback of knowing people are actually
visiting is more important.

Some services provide
invisible counters or counters that are company icons, not
numeric displays. These are great if you don't want to display
numbers, don't care, or don't want to make to make the impression
you're jonesing for hits.

REMINDER
SERVICES/EMAIL NEWSLETTERS/LISTSERVS:I find these useful as long as they're not intrusive.
Offering people a chance to know whe your work is updated, etc.
is offering them a service - as long as you don't do things like
pester them inappropriately, etc.

I myself use netmind
(http://www.netmind), so people automatically find out when my
page is updated. It's simple, non-intrusive, and doesn't require
much work for either party.

If your site is popular
enough, a good general listserv may be in order for readers and
contributors. I would not reccomend something like this unless
it's requested by several people or you're constantly getting
Guestbook/Messageboard updates by interested parties. If you're
not sure, put a post/poll on your main page and see what people
think!

Ultimately, your site may be
a centerpoint for an e-community, and a listserv can act similar
to a message board. Again, ask yourself what services your
visitors really want and need before implementing them (or
implementing any).

LINKS:It goes without saying, you have a links page, right?
The web is about connection, but a displayed body of works isn't
a personal page. Again, as noted, its presentation and utility.
Give your visitors a reason to be here.

First of all, you may not
even need a links page. If your story/world page is a subpage of
another, larger page, put the links there. Don't trouble yourself
or your readers.

If you do want to put links
on the story pages, make them relevant and functional. I
recommend:

Links to sites with
similar stories and concepts. Set up an exchange of links
with people who have similar sites.

Links to sites with
resources you used to do the pages. Spread the knowledge
and show your gratitude.

Links to other fiction
sites (such as fanfiction.net) if you don't have these
elsewhere. Especially worthwhile if they host your
fiction or link to you (or both).

Links to people who've
assisted you or inspired you. Give credit where credit is
due.

BANNERS:
Banners. I've got mixed feelings about them. I feel they can be
quite cool and artistic as well as promote sites, but sometimes
they end up dominating pages, or end up hidden away. One also
faces the threat that your site will look banner-dominated,
sold-out, or commercial. Then there are legal aspects depending
on your host and copyrights.

Your use of banners will
depend on your design choices. One can put them on the front
page, spread out, or on a page all their own. It depends on what
you want to do, how it should look, and what agreements you have
with your banner contributors.

(Note that if you enter
banner swaps with automated/swap services they may have very
strict rules on display and positioning. Read and follow these
carefully)

I also recommend that if you
have links AND banners separate. If you consider a site whose
banner you display very important or worthwhile, give the site
its own link too.

WEBRINGS:I rather like webrings when I get in a surfing mood, and
they're a way to declare an allegiance to an interest. Of course,
like banners, they can be overused or underused, and you need to
make sure you follow the rules of particular rings. I usually
subdivide them into appropriate categories.

OTHER UTILITIES:Searches, games, chat, etc. You can install them pretty
easily. But still, it all boils down to the same question - do
they do anything for your visitor? "They provide fun"
is a legitimate answer, but be sure they really do something.
Piling on the java, the javascript, etc. isn't necessarily going
to help and may hurt.

I once encountered a page
with two java applets, one a complete chat system - on the index
page. Needless to say, my browser, a bit taxed with other tasks,
completely exploded.

SUMMARY:Your site is a utility for your visitors. Enough
said.

Well, that's it for now in
"Webbing Your World." I hope it's been useful - now get
out there and show the world what you've done! Let me see your
sites, I may just share them with people in a future column!